Thursday, 30 January 2014

Three days in to the Walking Encyclopaedia, and after sorting through all the physical submissions, and photographing each exhibit, ready for the hang next week, thoughts turned to categories.

If Eskimos famously have more than 20 words for snow, equally there are dozens of different terms for what is essentially putting one foot in front of another.

When you apply the activity to an arts context, with the myriad of contextual and conceptual and historical connotations that involves, then it seems there might be a series of categories which the act of walking as a cultural practice could be divided up in to.

So we mailed out to The Walking Artists Network for suggestions - what could the categories be? - how would one categorise one's own practice?

Day two of The Walking Encyclopaedia was all about the build and the sift.

The build began with creating a framework for the outer wall - which then took a board either side, creating a double skin.

Once the frame was built, the boards could be attached, which gave us an idea of the new corridor space leading down to the dark room - - and we could make a start on creating the entrance to the space, in the form of a pair of reclaimed doors.

the submissions table

Zo starts the sift

While Andy was creating the physical space for The Walking Encyclopaedia, we made a start on the cataloguing process - systematically sifting through each of the physical submissions, noting names, titles, formats, dimensions, whether return postage had been requested, and so on. Once each of these works has been noted and codified, we'll make a start on the digital submissions, before finally categorising the works and creating the catalogue cards.

Day One of the preparations for the Walking Encyclopaedia saw some preliminary investigations of the extent of the show and the possibilities for the space.

Our initial plan involves building a "pod" within the lower gallery space, which will separate the Walking Encyclopaedia from Tim Knowles, "Paths of Variable Resistance" show - separate, for no other reason than to allow each part of the overall show its own designated space.

So, our initial plans divide the space up as seen in figs. 1-4.

Fig. 1

The Walking Encyclopaedia Room will contain all the
physical submissions, including artworks, objects, 2d prints and photographs,
plus some shelving to hold the amazing variety of publications, and some
monitor stations to display a changing and rolling show reel of films and
videos. There will be tables and chairs to relax whilst reading a chosen book,
plus some dvd stations to watch a chosen film.

Fig. 2

The
big fascia wall that can be seen greeting the visitor through the archway will
be the entrance to the Walking Encyclopaedia. The entrance will be through a
set of bespoke doors, filled with a frosted glass, to allow light in to the
space, but also maintain a privacy from the rest of the exhibition.

The long corridor which leads to the dark space at the bottom end
of the gallery - viewable in Fig. 3 - will act as an exhibition wall for 2d
works, leading the viewer into the film room, where Tim Knowles work,The Gorge, 2014will act as a terminus to the whole
exhibition.

Fig. 4 shows the view back up the length of the gallery from the
Dark Room.

The countdown is on to bring this show to life. The plan for Day 2 is to make a start - on the build for the Walking Encyclopaedia Space and to sift through the physical and digital submissions.

The Walking Encyclopaedia including Paths of Variable Resistance will open with a public preview on Friday February 7th at 6pm.

Progress drives society, controlling economy and politics, but on the horizon of great development looms impending decline. There is no final conclusion to the fall of a great era, only new beginnings. With the industrial revolution came the addition of factories to facilitate the new age of production, multiplying outward into urban sprawl. In many cases they are now abandoned, decaying in the wake of progress and subtracting beauty from natures golden ratio. As the mortar erodes into the sands of time, the derelicts of a once booming industry play host to new era of entrepreneurs. Artists, explorers and even athletes reclaim these spaces, working through the quiet hours to build anew.

Mally Mallinson in to help Bob curate his show

AirSpace Director Andrew Branscombe, Joe Burton, Mally and Bob

In Bob's Words...For my solo show I propose to consolidate over two years practice into one mixed media installation designed to hold the entire gallery space unified through a single narrative. The work is a culmination of several lines of enquiry, some of which started in my final year of study at Staffordshire university and some which have developed from continued research through my time spent practising at AirSpace gallery. Industry, architecture and counter-cultures will form the backbone of the work, creating a platform that will allow to me to continue exploring the way that the space held by a body of work effects the way that the viewer interacts with it.

TheAirSpace Gallery Graduate Residency Schemeoffers 2 selected artists 6 months free studio space, monthly mentoring meetings with Gallery staff and experienced arts professionals from outside the Gallery, professional development assistance, through our links with Artist-Newsletter and Turning Point West Midlands, and 2 exhibitions, including the all-important chance for a solo show.